1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to information processing apparatuses and control methods thereof, in particular communication technologies used in information processing apparatus which communicate with external apparatuses via networks.
2. Description of the Related Art
A service for transferring data scanned from a device to a computer (hereafter “PC”) is known. With such service, a user can read a physical document into the user's own PC as an electronic document.
In order to use this kind of service, it is necessary for the user to connect a PC to a network and then perform a process of transferring data scanned to the user's own PC from the device. At this time, the user inputs the PC's IP address or authentication information from the device in order to specify that the PC which is the transfer destination is the user's own PC. See, for example, JP 2000-244694 A.
The need also arises of searching for the user's own PC from the device. For example, when searching for a PC on a network from the device, the user needs to specify the user's own PC from among a large number of PCs connected to the network. If a problem occurs during this search, there is the possibility that the data might be transferred to another PC accidentally.
On the other hand, in the case of a method in which the user inputs the IP address of the PC into the device, it is necessary for the user to know the IP address of the user's own PC. In this case, the need arises for the user to exercise caution regarding the IP address allocated each time in a public network environment. In other words, in a network environment, the IP address of the PC may change dynamically. For example, there are cases in which the PC requests an IP address from the server every time it launches, and then uses the IP address issued by the server as its own address. In this case, the server dynamically allocates an IP address currently unused on the network to the PC. In this situation, the possibility cannot be brushed aside of the user making a mistake in inputting the IP address, and thereby causing the device to mistakenly transmit the data to another PC.
The following kinds of problems have arisen when transferring scanned data, etc., from a device to a PC connected temporarily to a network in a public place. The first problem is the hassle arising in the inputting operation of the IP address of the PC which is the destination for the scanned data. The second problem is mistakenly transferring the data to another PC.
For example, if a malicious third party connects a PC to a network and that PC always returns an authentication confirmation to the device for authentication of users from the device, there is a possibility that scanned data might be read into the malicious third party's PC. When this happens, there is a possibility that the authentication information might be received by the malicious third party's PC.